


Twilight of an Empire

by jessejackreyes



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Dossiers, F/F, Flashbacks, Lots of Hero/Villain Swapping, M/M, Minor Character Death, Prologue Explains the Basic Setup, Train Robbery, Tyrannical Jack AU, Violence, more tags to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-10-30 16:31:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10880643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessejackreyes/pseuds/jessejackreyes
Summary: On the fifth anniversary of the death of Jack Morrison and Overwatch, celebrations are interrupted by unexpected news. The hacker collective that calls itself Sombra disrupts the airwaves to broadcast a fact that many people in power are ignoring in the hopes that it will go away. Many old agents of Overwatch are on the move, suddenly active for the first time in half a decade. The people need to know what the UN is keeping from them if there is any chance for the world to be ready for the return of Overwatch.





	1. Prologue: Life Under Overwatch by: Gabrielle Adawe

**Author's Note:**

> This came at a very terrible and frustrating time, but it is very interesting and I like it even though it has nothing to do with my major projects. Chapter one here is a prologue explaining the history of Overwatch in this AU through the use of an in universe text. This is the foreword of Life Under Overwatch written by Gabrielle Adawe.
> 
> Part of the reason this interests me is because of the subject, but it is also going to be presented in a very nonstandard format that is proving to be a challenge to write. Enjoy my weird au. A ton of pairings are coming, possibly not in the way people are expecting.
> 
> As always kudos and comments are appreciated.

Excerpt from Life Under Overwatch

by Gabrielle Adawe

 

Foreword

…

Let it be known that under my orders and supervision Gabriel Reyes created the strike team that would come to be known as Overwatch. His hand picked squad consisted originally of fellow super soldier Jack Morrison, ace sniper from the Egyptian army Ana Amari, genius mechanical engineer Torbjorn Lindholm, ex crusader Reinhardt Wilhelm and himself. It grew slightly as time went on, but all of the key players in the events that followed were from that original group or would join much later.

 

From personal experience the five of them got off to a really rough start. They had different ideas of what to do, different styles of engagement and occasionally different beliefs about the righteousness of their cause. People have said, and I agree, that if it weren't for Gabriel Reyes leading Overwatch we would not have made it through the crisis. But something many who weren't there don't know is that if it wasn't for Jack Morrison, his second in command, keeping the peace between its members and helping them come together as comrades and friends Overwatch would have fallen apart before it even got going.

 

Reyes was a brilliant tactician and a great field commander. He weighed his options carefully, listened to other people's opinions, but made decisions quickly when it mattered and took responsibility for them. So many of us came to have great respect for the man, but it was Morrison who talked to delegates from the various nations. He sorted out treaty details, convinced reluctant generals to listen to Reyes’ plans and convinced the UN of the need to grant Overwatch more and more authority.

 

It was Morrison that convinced the Russian armed forces to share their experimental energy projection technology and the German’s their crusader shield units. He masterminded the think tanks that would help fight the Omnics during wartime and continued to make strides for Overwatch after its end. He convinced the world of the necessity of taking out the Omnium in Yugoslavia even knowing the sheer amount of civilian lives that would be lost. His words were greater weapons than the rifle he wielded.

 

Jack Morrison did some of these things at the behest of commander Reyes, but we have learned after the fact that many of these were done on his own prerogative. He wanted these things done and was in a position to do something about it, so he did. At the time we did not question what he was doing, we trusted him.

 

It is difficult to overstate just how important Morrison was to the original strike team and its success. We owe our victory to him almost as much as to Gabriel Reyes. It is important to understand who Morrison was in order to understand why certain mistakes were made. By the end of the war most of the delegates working for the United Nations had never interacted directly with commander Reyes. They had always acted through Morrison. The stated reason was that Reyes was not only frequently busy, but not a very good politician. Again from personal experience I can attest to the truth of the claim. Reyes was blunt and quickly irritated by, what he considered, pointless trivialities. He was happy to leave dealing with that to his second in command. The actual reason would come out much later, far after the war had ended and it was too late to change the course of things.

 

As Overwatch’s successes grew more numerous Morrison was able to convince more countries to relinquish more resources, more forces and more control to commander Reyes. By the end of the war commander Reyes was de facto in command of most armed forces on the face of the planet. We believed at the time, and I still believe to this day, that, even after everything that came afterwards, most of it was necessary.

 

We could not have our people fighting each other during the crisis and commander Reyes proved time and time again that he could show us victory if we let him. Morrison never let us forget every victory they pulled from the jaws of defeat, every life they saved. He made sure we understood what was at stake and we relented. It was only afterwards that we realized that Morrison had authored the Overwatch initiative himself. He knew every word of it, every authority we were granting Reyes as strike commander. 

 

In the heat of the greatest threat to humanity we signed so much away without a fight. Without understanding the ramifications, all because we listened to Jack Morrison and trusted commander Reyes. To this day I do not regret the faith I had in commander Reyes, but we all regret believing in Jack Morrison. At the conclusion of the crisis the Overwatch initiative that the UN had ratified called for the creation of a peacekeeping force under the Overwatch banner. It was supposed to protect us and help us rebuild after so much death, but it is where it all went wrong.

 

People have asked why we instated Jack Morrison as strike commander instead of Gabriel Reyes after the transition to a peacekeeping organization. The answer to that lies in our history with the men. Few members of the UN had ever met commander Reyes and were told repeatedly that he was there to win a war and not to play politics. So politics were played with Morrison instead and he was damned good at it. I know now that he had planned to be named strike commander from the moment he drafted the Overwatch initiative, perhaps even further back, and we played right into his hands.

 

He argued, and many others agreed with him, that commander Reyes made a perfect wartime commander, but he was a field commander. The new strike commander position was, in many ways, a glorified desk job. The kind of job we had always heard that Reyes hated yet Morrison excelled at. We all knew how close the two commanders were, there were rumors of them being romantically involved. It was so easy to trust that Morrison spoke for commander Reyes even then. We never even considered discussing things with the man himself, most of us had never even spoken a word to him. Everything was set up so perfectly as to make Morrison the only reasonable choice we had. 

 

There is a last bit to why he was chosen, his last carefully played piece in the game most people weren't aware that he was playing. The public adored him. Younger people may not remember how popular he was with the crowds, with the media. He gave inspirational speeches and was photographed saving children and puppies from Omnics. The public trusted the man more than the UN ever did. He let so many people down. We did not understand how ineffective the director of Overwatch’s office would be, how Morrison would ignore Petras whenever he pleased and would even have the legal right to do it.

 

With Jack Morrison officially made the strike commander of Overwatch things changed dramatically. He managed to sweet talk funding from everywhere for his humanitarian efforts, his scientific efforts and through those for his peacekeeping efforts. The size of their armed forces grew, but everyone was too busy congratulating them for saving lives and advancing medicine and technology to notice. 

 

Morrison recruited the brightest minds, the best fighters, the most loyal soldiers and through them he enforced his will on the people. It took almost five years for people to start listening to the voices that were decrying Overwatch, calling it the tyrannical beast that it was. A series of operations in Europe and Northern Africa that led to tens of thousands of deaths were the final straw, the Horus massacres.

 

Public outcry was swift and deafening. They had looked passed so many transgressions because they believed in Morrison’s message of peace and prosperity. But these massacres pulled public favor away from him. Director Petras, with the backing of the UN, condemned Morrison's actions publicly and demanded answers.

 

The strike commander was brought before a council convened by director Petras to discuss what was going to be done. There were threats of shutting down Overwatch or at least removing Morrison as the strike commander. When they asked him what he had to say for himself he laughed at them. They were commanded by him to declare their condolences for the lives lost, but their unilateral support of Overwatch the next morning. He left without answering a single question. 

 

None of them did what they were told, they had not understood the threat he was levying against them. Petras went so far as to go out and condemn Morrison publicly that morning instead. He was found dead in his hotel room that night along with the rest of the council a few hours later. Everyone knew what had happened, the message was sent loud and clear. Crossing the strike commander would lead to death and no position would protect you from him. 

 

The presidents of Russia, the United States, France, Japan, Israel, Mexico, Brazil, as well as the prime minister of England all registered their outrage publicly within hours of the deaths becoming known. From research I have done after the fact I learned that everyone of them received a private call from commander Morrison that day requesting that they reconsider their hasty words. They refused, confident that their positions would protect them. Eight world leaders were dead within 24 hours of condemning Overwatch and its strike commander. It was the beginning of the true reign of strike commander Morrison. 

 

Some call me a coward for being one of the many who did not resist, who did not speak out against the tyranny that Morrison was creating. I can not truly deny this allegation. What had happened was unthinkable and we were scared. On some level I believe that dying a martyr's death would not have really helped. We could do much more good for others if we were alive in our positions. But, I know that as much as that was true, I was truly afraid of what Morrison would do.

 

To this day it is difficult to tell the difference between rumor and fact when it comes to the actions that Overwatch took in the shadows. Assassination, torture, blackmail, instigating wars, funding criminal organizations, human experimentation. The list goes on and on. The first groups to die were a message that he wanted the whole world to see, others had their families threatened, were forced to watch horrible things happen, some were actually tortured all behind the scenes. We were afraid, but our fears were not unfounded.

 

While many detest me for cowardice, others ridicule me for my continued belief in commander Reyes. After all these years I believe that if we had not let Jack Morrison trick us into naming him strike commander, if the position had went to the one who deserved it most, then things would have been different, been better. I have had people tell me that I am crazy for this, but given the way Overwatch fell and what I knew about him it is the only conclusion I could come to.

 

On that day, four years ago to the day this book is published, Gabriel Reyes entered the Overwatch headquarters in Zurich. He planted explosives throughout the base and in the middle of a violent confrontation with strike commander Morrison the building erupted in flames and Gabriel Reyes died. But, he took Morrison and Overwatch down with him. People who never knew the man claim he did it for power, that it was merely a coup, but those of us who met him, who saw what kind of man he was know better. We know that he died that day for us. He did what we could not even at the cost of his life, as he always had before.

 

I have published this book on this day so that everyone will know what truly happened. Overwatch saved humanity from extinction, but after that, under commander Morrison it controlled us. He used the crisis to amass power for himself.

 

Herein this book lies thirty years of Overwatch, its formation, it's victory, and its betrayal. Those who were complicit, those who aided them, worked for them, and those who resisted are all here as best as I could record them. It is my sincerest hope that these words, these events, this knowledge be passed on to those who did not live through it so they know what happened. We must understand so that we may never forget.


	2. Sombra's Debut

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we begin something more akin to an actual story. The exact method used to tell the story will likely change from chapter to chapter. In this one it is footage captured by Sombra. The dossiers will make continuous appearances to grant insight into characters pasts.
> 
> This was strange to write, which is fun and I hope people enjoy it. It has a dossier report, a framing scene and a recorded incident as its primary action. Not something I am used to.
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated. 
> 
> All of the characters will have a dossier explaining who they are and what they do. It should be fun.

“Today is a day of remembrance, but also of celebration,” The words of Katya Volskaya reach across the world as the keynote speech from the UN floor. “Five years ago a reign of terror came to an end and we were able to reclaim what we fought for from those who would deny us our freedom,” 

“I and many others fought with all We had against the strike commander’s reign and even though our victory did not come entirely on our terms, we celebrate our freedom. But, we also do not forget our servitude. We do not forget what was taken from us,” The crowd is energized by her words, her audience in the hundreds of millions as the signal that is being broadcast cut out suddenly.

Even the monitors in the room where she is giving her speech go dark. A purple skull appears across every screen that had tuned in, the calling card of the hacker group known only as Sombra. Moments later the screen displays an image that most people over twenty or so in the crowd instantly recognize.

A man in his thirties wearing a dark cowboy getup. Boots, spurs, hat, chaps, everything you would expect from a movie cowboy. The black hat and bright red serape pull attention upwards. He advertises the side he is on with his fashion choices, black hats were not worn by the good guys after all . He is flashing a devilish grin at whatever camera had captured this picture, he is far more charming than he has any right to be.

Name: Jesse McCree  
Alias: Deadeye  
Age: 37  
Height: 6’ 1”  
Affiliation: Overwatch (Blackwatch)  
Known Living Associates: Dragon, Tracer  
Believed to be hiding out in the Midwestern United States  
Last Sighting: Houston Train Incident

History:  
Jesse McCree, was recruited into Overwatch’s black ops division by order of the strike commander himself. At seventeen he was working with a gang of gunrunners out of the American Midwest, the Deadlock gang. The gang came into conflict with Overwatch and, in an operation to clean it up, all known members of the gang were killed save for one. Sources say young Jesse McCree killed seven highly trained agents by himself and instead of being summarily executed when he was subdued, he was offered a chance to join the organization instead of dying like the rest of his gang. He quickly chose to join.

McCree was trained by Ana Amari to master his already incredible skills with a gun. He quickly became a sharpshooter of nearly unrivaled skill and speed. He was given the callsign Deadeye because if he could see you he could put a bullet between your eyes before you could react. His expertise in stealth and accuracy made him an accomplished assassin and a feared combatant. The name Deadeye is still known to strike fear into the hearts of people who had the misfortune of meeting him.

It is hard to track down an exhaustive list of his deeds while in Blackwatch, much of the information is unrecoverable, but a brief list of notable deeds includes: The assassination of the United States president Hernandez after the Horus Massacres, destroying and stealing the plans for the Volskaya Ares prototype mech, the murders of Alexei and Galina Volskaya, the Numbani incident, too many accounts of kidnapping children of influential individuals to count, the televised execution of the entire New European Liberation Front’s leadership, the kidnapping and torture of at least six individuals to force NewClove to restore production of his preferred cigarillo. An entire list of confirmed and suspected acts is attached at the end of this file.

McCree was well liked by all accounts throughout his tenure in Overwatch. Sources tell us that the young gunslinger developed a close relationship with the strike commander and was often sent on missions that Morrison could trust to very few people. The serape he wears was a gift from the strike commander after his successful assassination of the president of the United States. He was known to informally refer to the strike commander as “boss,” similar privileges were afforded to very few members of Overwatch. He disappeared after the fall of Zurich like many of the most prominent members of Overwatch. He has caused a bit of trouble now and then, but stayed mostly out of notice before Houston.

The Houston Train Incident  
Two weeks ago, on a luxury bullet train heading through Houston, TX, footage was captured as Jesse McCree snuck on board, murdered the security professionals and stole an unknown object of unknown worth and origins. Given the nature of the crime and the conversations overheard, it is our opinion that this event should be treated as potentially indicative of future threats from Deadeye and whoever he may be working for. As a result it is believed that the identity of who Deadeye is working for should be investigated immediately and without worrying about the potential costs of such an investigation. 

Attached is a copy of the most important pieces of the security footage obtained from the incident. The screen shifts to a video feed.

The video opens on the interior of a train car. The landscape flying by rapidly is visible through the windows as the people in the car dine, the quiet murmur of conversation is heard. The scene is oddly out of place juxtaposed to the wanted criminal people call Deadeye. Then there are gunshots from out of view of the camera. People scream and three fall over on screen, blood pouring from wounds between their eyes. 

“Now, now, y’all need just stay in your seats and calm yerselves down,” An oddly cheerful voice drawls from just outside the frame. “Keep yer heads on those tables down and ya get to finish yer little trip,” The entire car freezes briefly before the passengers place their heads down, staring away as a familiar man in a getup straight out of a spaghetti western stalks into the car, hat black as night, serape sanguine like the blood he spills. His left arms is mechanical, something that the profile picture earlier did not show.

Jesse McCree saunters his way through a dining car full of seemingly rich passengers and it's as if the last five years have been a dream. The fear the people in the video feel as this man so casually threatens their lives, as he grabs a bottle of bourbon from a table within reach and takes a swig, it's mirrored by the fear of the crowd now watching the events unfold. They were not supposed to need to be afraid of Overwatch anymore.

The view suddenly switches to another camera, the time stamp informing them that it takes place several minutes later. Deadeye drags someone working for the train, the conductor perhaps into the car. He tosses the man to the ground in front of a large safe, presumably where they kept particularly precious cargo. 

“Relax,” The outlaw drawls once again, though it could only really be a joke. “I jus’ wantcha to open this ol’ safe. Do that and I let ya go on yer merry little way,” To the man’s credit, despite the tear streaming down his face he shakes his head and refuses. “Yer funeral,” The gunslinger’s revolver quickly presses to his prisoners temple. “Sure you don't wanna reconsider?”

“I'm the only person on board who can open it!” The conductor all but shouts hastily shutting his eyes reflexively.

“That so?” The man nods frantically. “Reckon that's why yer bein’ so brave. Can't kill ya til you open it,” McCree laughs at the relieved sigh his captive lets out. “Good thing I came prepared then ain't it?” Deadeye saunters passed the vault without a care. “It's hilarious how no one bat an eye when I registered luggage under my name,” He drags a locked case from further back in the storage car. “Property of Jesse McCree,” He laughs showing the tag attached to the case.

“They probably thought it was a joke,” The conductor gapes as he sees that the case was indeed brought on board and registered under the name of one of the world's most wanted criminals..

“Y'all really should be more careful,” The cowboy remarks as he turns to gather another case tagged with his name. The conductor watches in silence as McCree gathers three rather large cases in front of the man. “Go ahead and open one o’ them Will,” The cowboy receives a confused stare. “That is your name right? William Walker, born and raised in Louisville, divorced, father o’ three. I could go on, but I'm sure you want to get to yer surprise,” Deadeye laughs again and tosses the man a key.

Walker slowly moves toward the case nearest to him. Kneeling done he hesitates before placing the key inside and turning it. The case all but springs open revealing what appears to be a young boy, maybe 10, curled up into a ball, bound with an oxygen mask around his mouth. The conductor gasps, eyes wet with tears as he realizes who is in the case.

“Jeffry?” The name is choked out as he frantically searches for signs of life. He’s breathing softly, but not moving. He moves frantically to the next case and opens it. A girl, slightly older than the first child. “Bethany,” The third case is opened, tears running down his eyes. “Sean…” It's another boy even younger than the first.

“Told ya I was prepared. I always know my targets inside and out,” A terrifying grin creeps onto the gunslinger’s face and Walkers face blanches in terror. “See I need you alive, not them,” Every tiny ounce of bravado that the conductor had managed to hold against Deadeye vanishes at the threat, not to himself, but to his children. “Now why don't you be a pal and open that vault door fer me,”

William Walker moves now with a purpose. The vault door accepted the code that he input, then it accepted his fingerprints and retinal scan. After a minute or so of security systems the vault locks twisted and he wrenches the door open. The angle of the camera does not allow a good look inside.

“Now hop on in there and grab that glowing box,” The conductor hesitates for the briefest of moments, but he hears the spinning of Deadeye’s revolver chamber and bounds in. He returned a minute later, slowly dragging a strange box that glowed a bright purple. “Thank ya kindly,” McCree thanks him mockingly. He grabs his prize from the scared father and his gun fires loudly, the conductor falls to the ground screaming and clutching his leg. “Jus’ be glad I'm in a good mood and these kids get to keep their daddy,” The man stalks away from the scene whistling a tune.

The camera switches back to the first shot as He returns to the dining car, that had mostly been emptied of people. A single anxious and scared server remains however. He clearly does not want to be there and that only worsens as Deadeye reenters the car and sat down at one of the tables, relaxed, with his feet resting on the table in front of him.

“Get me somethin’ good to eat,” He orders the server who ran off with a quick ‘yes sir.’ “And something with bite to drink!” He shouted after the man. A communicator buzzes loudly, a call that Deadeye answers with a sigh. “Howdy,” A brief silence ensues. “Yeah I got it. Nah I'm still on the train. I'm hungry. I'll be fine. You'll have the package in a few days don’ worry. Have I ever let you down before?” Another pause. “Oh come on that doesn't count and you know it,” Deadeye laughs, a bright smile on his face. “Alright, see ya soon boss,” 

The server returns with some food and a bottle of whiskey just as McCree is finishing up his call. The video speeds through an extended scene of the man casually eating a meal as the train continues on its way. The server stands off to the side nervously, clearly hoping the crazed gunman likes the food. His mechanical hand pulls out a cigarillo to relax himself as he finishes his meal. He then turns to face directly at the camera observing him.

“Hope y'all enjoyed my little show. I do look so good on camera after all,” he drawls with a laugh. The last picture the camera picks up is the gunslinger pointing his revolver at the camera and hearing a loud bang before the picture cuts out.

The celebratory and energetic atmosphere is gone from the room as the purple skull returns to the screen. The skull fades away to the message ‘Do not let the past repeat,’ The screen goes black at the words before returning to the camera feed that was recording Katya’s speech. Though Ms. Volskaya is no longer at the podium, instead she storms off the stage quickly, clearly irritated. This day does not end in the celebration that was planned, instead worry and fear are left to fester.


End file.
